Civil war board game project

Student’s Name:_______________ Dr. Garcia’s ________ (HR or C2) Purpose: Students will wrap-up our social studies unit on the Civil War with a culminating project to show what they know about the Civil War. Research shows that project-learning is one of the best ways for students to remember and demonstrate what they have learned. Please have fun! Parental assistance is welcomed, but students should take majority-ownership of the project. Follow the guidelines below to help you. Please remember, you don’t have to spend any or a lot of money making these as projects are graded on effort, following directions, and neatness. Some of the best projects we have seen are made out of everyday basic materials students had at home, from friends, or from the Dollar Store. WE WILL ACTUALLY PLAY THESE GAMES IN CLASS TOGETHER ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8th and FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9th after you present them!

Step One: Decide what type of board game you would like to create. You may be inspired by existing games such as Monopoly, Chutes & Ladders, Jeopardy, Candy Land, Bingo, or you may come up with something completely original and uniquely yours. Anything goes as long as it is a board game. In the past we have seen a huge variety of games and all were equally impressive. Most were create using very inexpensive every-day objects creatively.

Step Two: Consider the supplies you would like to use for the board itself such as paper, poster board, glue, construction paper, foam board, cereal box, aluminum foil, shoe box, moving box, or balsa wood. Consider any pieces you wish to use or make such as a dice or number cube, spinner, and playing pieces or tokens such as plastic army men, symbolic pieces you make such as a miniature civil war weapon or pieces you borrow from an existing game. You can make your own dice/number cube, spinner, and tokens with paper, tape or glue, and markers. Templates are provided in the web site link section. To be thrifty, simply make the entire game out of construction paper or copy paper and mount to cardboard or poster board.

Step Three: Decide your procedures and rules. How will you win or lose? What are the directions for your players? How many people may play? Will you have cards that ask questions, or will you have landing spaces that give commands, or a combination?

Step Four: Begin making your question and command cards. Be sure to include the major battles, key concepts, key people, and a few of the “other” concepts. For example, you may have a command space that says, “Sherman burns Atlanta. Skip a turn” or, “Slavery is ended. Move ahead two spaces.” Your question cards must have answers on the back for players to check for accuracy such as, “Which battle was considered the major turning point of the Civil War?” with the answer on back of “Battle of Gettysburg.”

Step Five: Decorate your game board and neatly present the title of your game, your name, and rules/procedures. Be prepared to explain your game to the class and to play it! Have a written or typed copy of the rules/procedures so that your classmates can play your game.

Rubric (Total Possible Points = 100):

Included major battles – 10 pts

Included key people – 10 pts

Included key concepts – 10 pts

Showed effort – 10 pts

Showed neatness – 10 pts

Showed creativity – 10 pts

Demonstrated an overall understanding of the Civil War – 10 pts

Turned in on time – 10 pts

Was able to explain title, instructions/rules/procedures & had them written or typed– 10 pts

Was able to play the game or demonstrate playing the game – 10 pts

(OVER)

CONCEPTS TO USE IN CREATING YOUR GAME QUESTIONS, COMMANDS, PIECES, & DECORATIONS: